Chandra Sekhar Acharya & Sarvajoya Devi
Sri Chaitanya Museum (Śrī Candraśekhara Ācārya Bhavan)
Ācāryaratna was also named Śrī Candraśekhara Ācārya. In a drama in his house, Lord Caitanya played the goddess of fortune.
(CC Adi 10.13)
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to perform dramas with Advaita Prabhu, Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura and other devotees in the house of Candraśekhara. The place where Candraśekhara’s house was situated is now known as Vrajapattana. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura established a branch of his Śrī Caitanya Maṭha at this place. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu decided to accept the renounced order of life, Candraśekhara Ācārya was informed of this by Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, and therefore he was present when Lord Caitanya accepted sannyāsa from Keśava Bhāratī in Katwa. It is he who first spread the word in Navadvīpa of Lord Caitanya’s accepting sannyāsa. Śrī Candraśekhara Ācārya was present during many important incidents in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He therefore forms the second branch of the tree of Lord Caitanya.
(CC Adi 10.13 purport)
When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu dressed Himself as the goddess of fortune to dance in the house of Candraśekhara, Mukunda Datta began the first song.
(CC Adi 10.40 purport)
Thereafter a dramatization of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes was performed in the house of Śrī Candraśekhara Ācārya. The Lord personally took the part of Rukmiṇī, the foremost of Kṛṣṇa’s queens.
(CC Adi 17.241)
Candraśekhara Ācārya assisted in the routine ceremonial work of the Lord’s acceptance of sannyāsa.
(CC Adi 17.272)
He (Buddhimanta Khān) collected ornaments for the Lord when He played the part of the goddess of fortune in the house of Candraśekhara Ācārya. He also went to see Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He was staying at Jagannātha Purī.
(CC Adi 10.74 purport)
Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita, Śrīrāma Paṇḍita, and Śrī Candraśekhara are worshiped throughout the three worlds.
COMMENTARY
Śrīvāsa and Śrīrāma are described in Śrī Kavi-karṇapūra’s Gauragaṇoddeśa- dīpikā (90) as follows: “The most intelligent Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita is nondifferent from Śrī Nārada Muni. Śrī Parvata Muni, who was very dear to Nārada Muni, has now appeared as Śrīrāma Paṇḍita, the younger brother of Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita.” After the Lord took sannyāsa, Śrīvāsa and Śrīrāma left Navadvīpa and resided at Kumārahaṭṭa. (See Antya-khaṇḍa, Chapter 5.) Śrīmān Candraśekhara Deva was the Lord’s devotee uncle (husband of Śacī’s sister). According to the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā, he was one of the nine Nidhis or Candra. Śrīmān Mahāprabhu danced and sang in his house in the mood of Devī for the first time in Bengal. The place where Candraśekhara’s house was situated is now known as Vrajapattana. The huge octagonal temple known as Śrī Caitanya Maṭha is situated at this place. It is the center of nourishment for the world-famous Viśvavaiṣṇava Rāja-sabhā. Deities of the four Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya ācāryas are established on the four sides of this temple. Śrī Guru-Gaurāṅga and Gāndharvikā-Giridhārī are being worshiped in the middle of the temple. Nityānanda Prabhu gave prior information to Śrī Candraśekhara of the Lord’s plan to take sannyāsa (See Madhya-khaṇḍa, Chapter 26). Śrī Candraśekhara was present with Śrī Nityānanda and Mukunda Datta at Katwa when the Lord took sannyāsa. He duly performed the prescribed sannyāsa rituals and then returned to Navadvīpa to inform everyone of the Lord’s acceptance of sannyāsa. A description of the Lord’s kīrtana in the house of Candraśekhara Ācārya prior to His acceptance of sannyāsa is found in the Madhya-khaṇḍa, Chapter 8. The presence of Candraśekhara Ācārya during the huge saṅkīrtana procession to subdue the Kazi and when the Lord bestowed His mercy on Śrīdhara is described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, Chapter 23. He would accompany the devotees of Bengal to visit the Lord in Nīlācala every year.
(Śrī Caitanya-bhāgavata, Ādi-khaṇḍa 2.34)
For further reading, please refer to:
Sri Caitanya Bhagavata Madhya Khanda : Chapter Eighteen: Mahāprabhu’s Dancing as a Gopī
Information – The house of Chandra Sekhar Acharya, a favourite disciple of Mahaprabhu, where Mahaprabhu with His selected disciples most successfully staged a drama, for the first time in Bengal, over 4 centuries ago….It is at this place that Mahaprabhu determined to turn a Sannyasi (mendicant). Now the famous Sri Chaitanya Math is located there.
(THE HARMONIST AS IT IS VOL.2 (VOL. XXVI, June 1928 – May 1929), Page 188)
